Tuesday, November 8, 2011

most awesome party shop in cape town

I featured this incredible party shop in the October Khuluma magazine. It literally is a one-stop party shop and filled with unusual items. Do your Christmas shopping here, and get fancy for your New Year's party.

Below is my text from the story:

I try to keep my feet on the squishy circle indicating some sort of pathway, but I’m not sure which way to go. The giant lollipops, oversized mushrooms, liquorice-allsorts ottomans and disco balls bombard my imagination and I’m frozen by all the options. I struggle to find an inch of open wall. A vampire – Jade Thompson, shop assistant extraordinaire – hands me some ‘happy pills’.I’ve got a hen party coming up and I need help. Retail manager Kama Murray – the creative brain behind the store’s look, and buyer of all its contents – guides me through the mounds of goodies.I have the same feeling I had when I stepped into Sweets From Heaven for the first time as a kid. A businessman across the way says, ‘I am going to a party tonight and need to dress as something starting with the letter P.’ Jade looks at him and says, ‘A pharaoh from Parow’ and fixes him up with a pharaoh outfit, fake gold tooth and bling necklace.This Is Not A Post Office – that’s the shop’s name – is the latest venture by the Madame Zingara group. It was created so fans have the option to take some of the Madame’s magic home with them.‘It’s a one-stop party shop,’ says Kama. ‘I shop for fun, playful accessories. Obviously one of our main features is the costumes.’It is a weird and wacky world, divided into seven sections. The first room I walk through is Candyland, which stocks gifts and clothing, including ‘I Love My Hood’ hoodies, shirts and aprons (made locally, with profits going to charity). The costumes are also kept here – anything from Red Riding Hood to cowboys, in all sizes. A small purple door leads into the UV Cave, for goodies that glow in the dark, followed by a revolving door into the Wonky Donkey Disco Room, where laser lights dance across wigs and hats through the smoke emanating from a smoke machine (available for hire). There is a sweet smell teasing me through an oversized keyhole, which I step through to enter the Tree Room – aptly named after the money tree in its centre. Bath products, cosmetics, glitter tattoos, hair accessories and jewellery – including ‘knives, spoons and forks’ earrings by local designer Jo – fill every nook and cranny.Three more rooms branch off from here: the Heart Room (edible massage oils and cheeky adult costumes), the Sweet Room and Johnny’s Room (gizmos, gadgets, posters and boys’ toys). The largest Kid Robot in the world hangs from the roof, and come Halloweenthe room will be filled with creepy accessories.‘There is something for everyone,’ says Kama, explaining her merchandise choices. ‘I always think of whether it’s something I haven’t seen before, and I think of the people I know, like Jade. She loves the religious section [think Buddhas and Virgin Mary lamps]’.The shop also rents out props, lights, decor and sound equipment, and organises performers, DJs, catering and goodie bags.

This is Not A Post Office is open daily from 10.30am.110 Kloof Street, Oranjezicht, Cape Town, 021-423-7817